Project management system

Abstract

A project management system is provided according to various aspects of the disclosure. In one aspects, the project management system comprises a people database, a project database, and a project processor. The people database discloses profiles of individuals and the project database stores information about projects. The project processor may be configured to identify individuals to work on a project by comparing the profiles of the individuals stored in the people database and the information for the project stored in the project database, to modify a performance evaluation based on feedback from at least one of realized outcomes in relation to at least one of expected outcomes, to modify at least one of the expected outcomes based on feedback from at least one of the profiles, and to modify at least one of the expected outcomes based on feedback from at least one of the realized outcomes.

1 . A project management system comprising:
 (i) a people database storing profiles of individuals, wherein the profile for each individual comprises indicators for:
 an employment history of the individual; 
 a work position held by the individual; 
 a type of work performed by the individual; 
 a skill level of the individual; 
 an evaluation of performance by the individual on any project, or portion thereof, completed by the individual; and 
 an availability of the individual for a project; 
   (ii) a project database storing information about projects, wherein the information for each project comprises indicators for:
 (a) information on persons needed to complete the project, wherein the information on each person includes at least one of: 
 a type of work to be performed by the person; 
 a required skill level of the person; and 
 an amount of time for the person to perform on the project; 
 (b) expected outcomes of the project; 
 (c) realized outcomes of the project, after they are realized; and 
 (d) a cost of at least a portion of the project; 
   (iii) a project processor configured to:
 identify individuals to work on a project by comparing the profiles of the individuals stored in the people database with the information for the project stored in the project database; 
 modify the performance evaluation based on feedback from at least one of the realized outcomes in relation to at least one of the expected outcomes; 
 modify at least one of the expected outcomes based on feedback from at least one of the profiles; and 
 modify at least one of the expected outcomes based on feedback from at least one of the realized outcomes. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a knowledge database having:
 (a) first rules that determine how the feedback from the at least one of the realized outcomes in relation to the at least one of the expected outcomes modifies the performance evaluation;   (b) second rules that determine how the feedback from the at least one of the profiles modifies the at least one of the expected outcomes; and   (c) third rules that determine how the feedback from the at least one of the realized outcomes modifies the at least one of the expected outcomes.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein feedback based on at least one of the realized outcomes modifies at least one of the first rules, the second rules, and the third rules. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein feedback based on a relation between at least one of the realized outcomes and at least one of the expected outcomes modifies at least one of the first rules, the second rules, and the third rules. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the expected outcomes comprises a cost of at least a portion of the project. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the expected outcomes comprises a time to completion of at least a portion of the project. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the realized outcomes comprises an actual time to completion of a portion of a project and the at least one of the expected outcomes comprises an expected time to completion of the portion of the project. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the first rules comprises a performance rule that increases a performance evaluation value of an individual when the actual time to completion occurs before the expected time to completion, and decreases the performance evaluation value of the individual when the actual time to completion occurs after the expected time to completion. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the performance rule is modified based on at least one of the realized outcomes comprising at least one of an environmental and an economic condition that negatively impacts an ability of the individual to complete the portion of the task. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the project processor is configured to automatically track the at least of the environmental and the economic condition. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the realized outcomes comprises an actual cost to complete a portion of a project and the at least one of the expected outcomes comprises an expected cost to complete the portion of the project. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first rules comprise a performance rule that increases a performance evaluation value of an individual when the actual cost is below the expected cost, and decreases the performance evaluation value of the individual when the actual cost exceeds the expected cost. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the performance rule is modified based on at least one of the realized outcomes comprising an environmental or economic condition that negatively impacts an ability of the individual to complete the portion of the task. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the project processor is configured to automatically track the environmental or economic condition. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the second rules comprise an expected outcome rule that increases an expected time to completion or an expected cost of a portion of a project when a performance evaluation value of an individual is decreased. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the third rules comprise an expected outcome rule that increases an expected time to completion of a task of a project when a realized time to completion of a previous task of the project exceeds an expected time to completion of the previous task. 
     
     
         17 . A method of managing a project in a project management system, the project management system comprising (i) a people database storing profiles of individuals, wherein the profile for each individual comprises indicators for: an employment history of the individual, a work position held by the individual, a type of work performed by the individual, a skill level of the individual, an evaluation of performance by the individual on any project, or portion thereof, completed by the individual, and an availability of the individual for a project, and (ii) a project database storing information about projects, wherein the information for each project comprises indicators for (a) information on persons needed to complete the project, wherein the information on each person includes at least one of: a type of work to be performed by the person, a required skill level of the person, and an amount of time for the person to perform on the project, (b) expected outcomes of the project, (c) realized outcomes of the project, after they are realized, and (d) a cost of at least a portion of the project, the method comprising:
 identifying individuals to work on a project by comparing the profiles of the individuals stored in the people database with the information for the project stored in the project database;   modifying the performance evaluation based on feedback from at least one of the realized outcomes in relation to at least one of the expected outcomes;   modifying at least one of the expected outcomes based on feedback from at least one of the profiles; and   modifying at least one of the expected outcomes based on feedback from at least one of the realized outcomes.